Australia 307 for 4 (Smith 66*, Siddle 18*) v England
For Australia, the series is lost, the intensity is not what it was and expectations could not be much lower. Shane Watson's bountiful form has come far too late to challenge the outcome of the series, but there was no denying the gentle brutality of his strokeplay as he took the highest score of his Test career off a reshaped and none-too-convincing England attack in the final Test at The Oval.
Watson's move to No. 3 had not delighted all observers but, at the end of a series in which Australia's pick-and-mix batting order has left them 3-0 down, he produced the most domineering top-order batting of the summer. There were no devils in the situation or in a depressingly slow Oval pitch and Watson responded to an unpressurised situation by registering only his third hundred in 46 Tests in a manner which simultaneously stated his ability and questioned his record.
When he even reviewed successfully after being adjudged lbw to Chris Woakes on 166 eight overs from the close, it looked as if he was fated to survive into the second morning. Woakes thought he had achieved his first Test wicket when he defeated Watson's pull shot but the decision of umpire Kumar Dharmasena was reversed when replays showed the ball was too high.
But Stuart Broad, who had felled Watson with a well-directed short ball on 91 and bowled defiantly throughout, removed him three overs before the close. Warner's full-blooded pull at Broad was expertly intercepted by a diving Kevin Pietersen at deep backward square, moved there from long leg by his captain, Alastair Cook, a few minutes before.
Watson never quite discovered the same mastery after Broad struck him behind the ear, a sickening blow which brought him to his knees for a prolonged period and caused brief alarm - and left him munching pain-killing tablets - but he summoned the resolution that has not always been a feature of his Test career.
It was his pre-lunch assault that set the tone. England fielded two Ashes debutants in Woakes and Simon Kerrigan and Watson feasted upon their vulnerability, amassing 80 from 77 balls by lunch as between them as the new pair leaked 58 runs in seven overs.
If Woakes' contribution was just about adequate, Kerrigan, the Lancashire left-arm spinner called up after Monty Panesar became persona non grata, had a humbling experience. As his confidence deserted him and full tosses vied for attention with a liberal supply of long hops, the tacit invitation to Panesar to find the sort of late-season form to regain his place as England's back-up spinner could not have been clearer.
Kerrigan had been treated dismissively by Watson in the Lions match against Northamptonshire last week and, as he won his first Test cap in his 50th first-class match, nothing had changed. He conceded 28 in his first two overs with Watson helping himself to six boundaries. The first four ball, a low full toss, revealed his uncertainty and he repeatedly dropped short in his second over as Watson overawed him.
If the assault subsided, anxiety never left him. He returned for two distinctly nervy overs before tea, his faltering belief exaggerating an unanimated approach to the crease, and although he improved a little after the interval, his lack of conviction was such that every dot ball became a building brick in a desperate battle for survival. It was one of the most nervous England debuts for many years.
The series was already settled and as much as Cook had spoken of their desire to set new standards by winning an Ashes series 4-0, the sense of experimentation was apparent. The inclusion of Woakes and Kerrigan also markedly changed the balance of the side as England switched from a four-man attack to five and fielded two spinners in a home Test for the first time since the Ashes Test against Australia in Cardiff four years ago.
Such a balance was forced upon England by a slow, dry pitch, the sort of conditions in which England have repeatedly dominated in this sun-drenched summer, but as Watson dismissed the debutants from his presence, the five-man attack seemed by mid-afternoon to have been reduced to three as Cook retreated to his trusted trio of Broad, James Anderson and Graeme Swann.
Broad apart, only in the first hour did England possess much threat. There was a hint of swing for the new ball and even a semblance of turn for Swann, but Watson bestrode the morning. It was a powerful display of Test batting, but this was not high-quality, tension-ridden Ashes cricket.
Broad, at least, is finishing the series full of vigour, but after his 11 wickets in the previous Test, conditions were no longer as encouraging. That reality dawned in his first over when he found the edge of Rogers' bat but the ball died well short of Cook at first slip. At the fag-end of the day, though, his threat remained and he was inches away from bowling Steven Smith, whose lofted blows had been a feature of his unbeaten 66.
England, who dismissed David Warner in the fifth over of the day - a simple catch for the wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, as he fenced at Anderson - followed up with the wickets of Chris Rogers and Michael Clarke in the middle session. Rogers' laborious stay - 23 from 100 balls - ended when he nicked Swann to first slip, so ending a lengthy stalemate between the pair. Anderson accounted for Clarke, bringing one back to bowl him off the top of his pad to pass Bob Willis and go second in England's all-time list of Test wicket-takers.
Broad's combative post-lunch spell disturbed Australia's equilibrium. Watson was felled and, not for the first time in this series, Clarke also seemed to have problems picking up Broad's short ball. If Anderson dismissed Clarke, Broad deserved an assist.
It was a careful cover drive off Anderson which brought Watson his first hundred since he took a century off India in Mohali in 2010, and the third Australian hundred of the series to follow those made by Clarke and Rogers. He was dropped on 104 off Anderson at first slip, an inviting chance, knee high to Cook's right, off the shoulder of the bat.
(Watson c Pietersen b Broad 176 289/4 87.1 overs)
bouncer, another fierce lifter and hooked powerfully, out towards deep backward square... where Kevin Pietersen dives to take a quite brilliant catch! Broad has winkled out Watto - although only by a few millimetres of rubber after they check on the no-ball - and a superb innings comes to an end. It's not a double but definitely a daddy and Watson can walk off plenty satisfied. He's played the short ball well but just couldn't quite keep the shot down this time
Tea Australia 183 for 3 (Watson 121*, Smith 15*) v England
For Australia, the series is lost, the intensity is not what it was and expectations could not be much lower. Shane Watson's bountiful form has come far too late to challenge the outcome of the series, but there was no denying the gentle brutality of his strokeplay as he took a century off a reshaped England attack in the final Test at The Oval.
In the morning, Watson feasted upon the vulnerability of two England debutants, amassing 80 from 77 balls as Chris Woakes and Simon Kerrigan between them leaked 58 runs in seven overs, Kerrigan's confidence collapsing markedly under the strain. The afternoon session was more painful for Watson as he was struck behind the ear on 91 by a well-directed short ball from Stuart Broad, but he buckled down to be 121 not out by tea.
England, who dismissed David Warner in the fifth over of the day - a simple catch for the wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, as he fenced at James Anderson - followed up with the wickets off Chris Rogers and Michael Clarke in the middle session. Rogers' laborious stay - 23 from 100 balls - ended when he nicked Graeme Swann to first slip. Anderson accounted for Clarke, bringing one back to bowl him off the top of his pad to pass Bob Willis and go second in England's all-time list of Test wicket takers.
Broad's combative post-lunch spell disturbed Australia's equilibrium. Watson's blow was sickening and left him kneeling on the floor for a lengthy period in obvious pain. Not for the first time in this series, Clarke also seemed to have problems picking up Broad's short ball and he was lucky to survive on more than one occasion.
Watson, who needed painkilling tablets, could plead disorientation when he took a single and collided shoulder to shoulder with Anderson in his follow-through - he seemed in too much of a trancelike state for it to be presented as a deliberate physical statement.
It was a careful cover drive off Anderson which brought him his first hundred for 25 Tests, since he took a century off India in Mohali in 2010, and the third Australian hundred of the series to follow those made by Clarke and Rogers. He was dropped on 104 off Anderson at first slip, an inviting chance, knee high to Cook's right, off the shoulder of the bat.
England fielded two debutants in an Ashes Test for the first time since the Hollioake brothers in 1997 and, if Watson met Woakes' first spell in Test cricket with contentment, he treated the Lancashire left-arm spinner Kerrigan dismissively.
Kerrigan conceded 28 in his first two overs in a humbling introduction to Test cricket, with Watson helping himself to six boundaries. The first boundary, a low full toss, revealed Kerrigan's uncertainty and he repeatedly dropped short in his second over as Watson overawed him.
Kerrigan had also been treated dismissively by Watson in the Lions match against Northampton and initial indications were that his 50th first-class match could be his most pressing of the lot. He returned for two distinctly nervy overs before tea, his faltering belief exaggerating an unanimated approach to the crease.
Watson's move to No. 3 had not delighted all observers but, at the end of a series in which Australia's pick-and-mix batting order has left them 3-0 down , he produced the most domineering top-order batting of the summer. There were no devils in the situation or in a slow Oval pitch and Watson responded to an unpressurised situation by taking charge of the opening morning.
The series was already settled and as much as Alastair Cook, England's captain, had spoken of their desire to set new standards by winning an Ashes series 4-0, the sense of experimentation was apparent.
The inclusion of Woakes and Kerrigan also markedly changed the balance of the side as England switched from a four-man attack to five and fielded two spinners in a home Test for the first time since the Ashes Test against Australia in Cardiff four years ago.
As Watson purred along, they looked as if they would need every one of them. There was a hint of swing with the new ball, and even a semblance of turn for Swann, but England were already preparing for reverse swing long before the interval.
The inclusion of Kerrigan, Lancashire's slow left-armer, was a clear indication to Monty Panesar that his Test career can no longer be taken for granted, while suggestions that Woakes would bat at No. 6, ahead of Prior, emphasised that he will be expected to make runs aplenty if he is to hold down a Test career.
Such a balance was forced upon England by a slow, dry pitch, the sort of conditions in which England have repeatedly dominated in this sun-drenched summer. But Watson bestrode the morning, striking the ball with conviction from the outset and including nine fours and a six in a 61-ball half-century, awash with pulls through midwicket and powerful blows down the ground.
Broad, England's matchwinner in Chester-le-Street, had been subjected to belated and pointed criticism by Australia's coach, Darren Lehmann, about his failure to walk in the opening Test.
Suggestions that Anderson would be rested proved wide of the mark, although after experiencing this sluggish surface, he might have wished he had been.
Broad looked fresher, but after his 11 wickets in the previous Test, conditions were no longer as encouraging. He found the edge of Rogers' bat in his first over but the ball died well short of Cook at first slip, and Warner's only boundary came from a thick inside edge as he conjured up some inswing, but there would be no repeat of his hit-the-pitch aggression here.
Swann was on by the 12th over. His contest against Rogers came close to stalemate, but there was no stalemate at the other end as Watson showed England's two debutants a few home truths. Cook kept them away from him for most of the afternoon session but as the overs totted up for his three senior bowlers he could not hope to do so for ever.
(144/3 Clarke b Anderson 7 42.5 overs)
good length, forward press and Clarke is slow on the stroke, too slow, it comes off the pad and ricochets into the top of off stump. Anderson strikes again with a fine delivery that just shaped in slightly and beat Clarke's inside edge, it flicked the top of the bat but before they could go up for an appeal, the off stump had been pegged back
(118/2 Watson c Trott b Swann 23 33.1 overs)
edged and taken at first slip on the back foot, a little turn takes a thick outside edge and it's very well taken down low from Trott to his left-hand side, smart grab Just a little bit of turn decieved Rogers who was playing tentatively from the crease, it was a similar dismissal to Durham and the sixth time in the series Rogers has fallen to Swann this series
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Lunch Australia 112 for 1 (Rogers 21*, Watson 80*) v England
For Australia, the series is lost, the intensity is not what it was and expectations could not be much lower. Shane Watson's bountiful form had come far too late to challenge the outcome of the series, but there was no denying the gentle brutality of his strokeplay as he feasted upon the vulnerability of two England debutants on the first morning of the final Investec Test at The Oval.
By lunch, Watson had 80 from 77 balls, his approach entirely divorced from Chris Rogers' labours as the opener ground through the session for 21. Watson's intervention came after Australia lost David Warner in the fifth over, a catch at the wicket as he fenced at a wide one from James Anderson for Matt Prior to hold the catch.
England fielded two debutants in an Ashes Test for the first time since the Hollioake brothers in 1997 and, if Watson met Chris Woakes' first spell in Test cricket with contentment, he treated the Lancashire left-arm spinner, Simon Kerrigan, dismissively.
Kerrigan conceded 28 in his first two overs in an unnerving introduction to Test cricket with Watson helping himself to six boundaries. The first boundary, a low full toss, revealed Kerrigan's uncertainty and he repeatedly dropped short in his second over as Watson's gentle destruction overawed him.
Kerrigan had also been treated dismissively by Watson in the England Lions match at Northampton and initial indications were that his 50th first-class match could be his most pressing of the lot.
Watson's move to No. 3 had not delighted all observers but, at the end of a series in which Australia's pick-and-mix batting order has left them 3-0 down in the series, he produced the most domineering top-order batting of the summer. There were no devils in the situation or in a slow Oval pitch and Watson responded to an unpressurised situation by taking charge of the opening morning.
The series was already settled and as much as Alastair Cook, England's captain, had spoken of England's desire to set new standards by winning an Ashes series 4-0, the sense of experimentation was apparent.
The inclusion of Woakes and Kerrigan also markedly changed the balance of the side as England switched from a four-man attack to five and fielded two spinners in a home Test for the first time since the Ashes Test against Australia in Cardiff four years ago.
As Watson purred along, they looked as if they would need every one of them. There was a hint of swing with the new ball, and even a semblance of turn for Graeme Swann on the first morning, but England were already preparing for reverse swing long before the interval.
The inclusion of Kerrigan was a clear indication to Monty Panesar that his Test career can no longer be taken for granted while suggestions that Woakes would bat at No. 6, ahead of Prior, emphasised that he will be expected to make runs a plenty if he is to hold down a Test career.
Such a balance were forced upon England by a slow, dry pitch, the sort of conditions in which England have repeatedly dominated in this sun-drenched summer. But Watson bestrode the morning, striking the ball with conviction from the outset and including nine fours and a six in a 61-ball half-century, awash with pulls through midwicket and powerful blows down the ground.
Stuart Broad, England's matchwinner at Chester-le-Street, had been subjected to belated and pointed criticism by Australia's coach, Darren Lehmann about his failure to walk in the opening Test, Suggestions that Anderson would be rested proved wide of the mark, although after experiencing this sluggish surface, he might have wished he had been.
Broad looked fresher, but after his 11 wickets in the previous Test at Chester-le-Street, conditions were no longer as encouraging. He found the edge of Rogers' bat in his first over but the ball died well short of Cook at first slip, and Warner's first boundary came from a thick inside edge as he conjured up some inswing, but there would be no repeat of his hit-the-pitch aggression here.
Swann was on by the 12th over. His contest against Rogers came close to stalemate, but there was no stalemate at the other end as Watson showed England's two debutants a few home truths.
full just outside off, Warner drives very loosely at it and gets a thin nick to the keeper. Pretty ordinary stroke and a tame dismissal but reward for some decent early overs, the ball has swung and England have put it in the right place. Warner had been a touch edgy and tried to put bat and ball but simply didn't move his feet and got a regulation edge to Prior
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England: 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Joe Root, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Chris Woakes, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Simon Kerrigan
Australia: 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Nathan Lyon
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